Award winners and secret nominees for the coveted FilmQuest Cthulhu Trophy were announced at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony September 14th, 2019 at Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo, Utah. The 2019 FilmQuest Awards are, as usual, filled with many more deserving films than can possibly win or be nominated. To the winners and nominees, congratulations!
The following nominees were culled from a process that began with over 1,120 submissions to the 2019 festival. Each Feature Film category, unless otherwise noted, has 6 – 8 nominees. Each Short Film & Other category, unless otherwise noted, has 10 nominees. Every category, unless otherwise noted (there will be no * with extra information included at the bottom of each list), has a secret nominee that is announced at the Awards Ceremony.
We hope that your nominations and wins prove to be helpful to you in your festival and filmmaking journeys, and remember, the Quest for Cthulhu has already begun for 2020!
Congratulations to all the 2019 Award Winners and Nominees, and start spreading the word today!
*Indicates award is a plaque’d award.
** Indicates the winner was a secret nominee.
2019 WINNERS
BEST FEATURE FILM
Daniel Isn’t Real
BEST COMEDY SHORT
My Dinner with Werner
BEST FANTASTIC SHORT
Attrition
BEST FANTASY SHORT
The Seahorse Trainer
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Rubbish Robbers (Norway)
BEST HORROR SHORT
We Die Alone
BEST MICRO SHORT
The Muffin Man
BEST SCI-FI SHORT
Hashtag
BEST STUDENT SHORT
Progeny**
BEST UTAH PRODUCTION*
The Wreath
BEST ANIMATED FILM*
Widdershins
BEST FILMQUEST EXPRESS FILM*
Not for Distribution
BEST MUSIC VIDEO*
Withorwithout
BEST WEB SERIES*
My Helpful Ghost Ancestor Roommate
BEST YOUTH FILM*
Me & Michael
THE MINERVA AWARD*
Rakefet Abergel – Boo
BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
The Sonata – Andrew Desmond
BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
To Your Last Death – Jim Cirile & Tanya C. Klein
BEST ACTOR – FEATURE
The Black String – Frankie Muniz
BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Swing Low – Annabelle Dexter-Jones
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Daniel Isn’t Real – Patrick Schwarzenegger
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Blood Vessel – Alyssa Sutherland
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE*
Villains
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE*
Daniel Isn’t Real – Lyle Vincent
BEST SCORE – FEATURE*
The Sonata
BEST SOUND – FEATURE*
To Your Last Death
BEST EDITING – FEATURE*
Volition
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – FEATURE*
Blood Vessel
BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE*
Blood Vessel
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – FEATURE*
Lake Michigan Monster
BEST MAKEUP – FEATURE*
Wild Boar
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
Supine – Nicole Goode
BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
(TIE) A Purgatory Story – Tom Albanese & Joey Long
(TIE) O.I. – N’cee van Heerden
BEST ACTOR – SHORT
Exhibit Man – Troy Mundle
BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
Lili – Lisa Smit
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
The Hanged Man – Gordon Peaston
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT
We Die Alone – Ashley Jones
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT*
Balloon
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT*
Alaraph – Ton Vorselaars
BEST SCORE – SHORT*
Virtually**
BEST SOUND – SHORT*
The Automaton
BEST EDITING – SHORT*
We Got a Monkey’s Paw
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – SHORT*
Doffice
BEST COSTUMES – SHORT*
The Reckoning of Darkness
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – SHORT*
The Beacon
BEST MAKEUP – SHORT*
Starcadian: Freak Night
DIRECTOR’S PRIZE*
Overall Cinematic Achievement – Burning Kentucky to Bethany Brooke Anderson
Overall Cinematic Achievement – Fatale Collective: Bleed to Lola Blanc, Megan Rosati, Danin Jacquay, Francesa Maldonado, Natasha Halevi, Linda Chen
Overall Concept & Execution – The Fare to DC Hamilton & Brinna Kelly
Best Actor – Here & Beyond to Grey Lucey
FILMQUEST EXPRESS COMPETITION
Runner-Up – Money Man
Best Director – Money Man
Best Cinematography – Money Man
Best Writing – Not for Distribution
Best Editing – Not for Distribution
Best Acting – William and Theodore Part VI
Best Sound – William and Theodore Part VI
Best VFX – William and Theodore Part VI
Best Costumes – Hammer of Fate
Best Makeup – Hammer of Fate
Best Use of Elements – Money Man
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
1st Place (TIE)* – Roman Candle by Derek Abbott
1st Place (TIE)* – Sick bySylvia Batey Alcalá
2nd Place (TIE)* – Land Lord by Remington Smith
2nd Place (TIE)* – The Suburban Kaleidoscope by Samuel R. Peirce
3rd Place* – Third Date by Avishai Weinberger
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT
1st Place* – The Squirrels in the Attic by Rachel Thomas-Medwid
2nd Place* – Plaything by Samantha Kolesnik & Jason Tostevin
3rd Place* – Boos Up by Marion McDowell
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY – FEATURE – TOP 15 FINALISTS
…a Chance of Rain by Alan C. Beard & Patrick Green
6 Feet Above by Summer Moore
Land Lord by Remington Smith
M – Demon Killer by Mark Hammond
Persona by Jeffrey Howe
Roman Candle by Derek Abbott
Rust by Guy Pooles
Sick by Sylvia Batey Alcalá
Sol by James Fox
The Housesitter by David Palamaro
The Quicksilver Pleasure Club by Matt Pacini
The Suburban Kaleidoscope by Samuel R. Peirce
Third Date by Avishai Weinberger
Until Death… by Kevin Sluder
Werewolves from Outer Space by Justin Nosler
BEST UNPRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT – TOP 10 FINALISTS
Bitch Revolution by Zeus Kontoyannis
Boos Up by Marion McDowell
Legends by Kevin Brennan
Life on the Farm by Laurel Vail
Pieces of Me by Gus Eid
Plaything by Samantha Kolesnik & Jason Tostevin
Sweet Pea by Neil McLarty
The Errant Signal by Nik Theorin
The Flavor of Fury by James Lee
The Squirrels in the Atttic by Rachel Thomas-Medwid
All Unproduced Screenplay Competition judging was done by a group of third party professional judges.
2019 NOMINEES & SECRET NOMINEES
BEST FEATURE FILM
Blood Vessel
Daniel Isn’t Real
Swing Low
The Fare
The Sonata
To Your Last Death
Villains
SECRET NOMINEE: Making Monsters
BEST COMEDY SHORT
Five Course Meal
Half-Cocked
Keloid
Killer Date
My Dinner with Werner
Proper British Sex
Serial Dater
The Office is Mine
We Got a Monkey’s Paw
SECRET NOMINEE: For the Love of Kyle
BEST FANTASTIC SHORT
Alaraph
Attrition
Blue Pig
Brute
Doffice
Rain Catcher
Supine
The Cunning Man
The Dishwasher
SECRET NOMINEE: O.I.
BEST FANTASY SHORT
A Purgatory Story
Dispel
Steel Cut Oats
The Automaton
The Lossen
The Seahorse Trainer
The Secret Box: The Rise of Paperboy
Troll Bridge
Worship
SECRET NOMINEE: The Time Tree
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Article 19-42
Atomic Ed
Dead Teenager Seance
Eternity
Fashion Alibi
Lobisome
Motherhood
Rubbish Robbers
The Blizzard
SECRET NOMINEE: Limbo
BEST HORROR SHORT
Boo
Conversion Therapist
Exhibit Man
Fatale Collective: Bleed
Last One Screaming
Low Tide
Re-Home
Spitting Image
We Die Alone
SECRET NOMINEE: Maggie May
BEST MICRO SHORT
After the Rain
Asparagus Tips
Ausente
Face Swap
In Love
Open Wide
Puzzle
Satellite
The Muffin Man
SECRET NOMINEE: The Friend
BEST SCI-FI SHORT
Ava in the End
Earthy Encounters
Hashtag
Hello, World
Prefigured
Regulation
The Beacon
Unregistered
What Daphne Saw
SECRET NOMINEE: Third Kind
BEST STUDENT SHORT
8
Balloon
Boys’ Club
Here & Beyond
Salvation
Siphon
Teddy Mate
The Hanged Man
You’ll Only Have Each Other
SECRET NOMINEE: Progeny
BEST UTAH SHORT
Anna
Chasing the Dragon
Gather
Llvonija
Night Sky
The Tormenting of Jones
The Wreath
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
FlyTrap
Fuse
Gingerfall: Reckoning
Mogu and Perol
Pipe Dream
Summoner War: Friends & Rivals
The Brave Heart or (The Day We Enabled the Sleepwalking Protocol)
The Soul Collector
Widdershins
SECRET NOMINEE: Giant Bear
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Burial
Chatroom
Competitive Mourning
Freak Night
Gods & Gold
No Going Back
Withorwithout
SECRET NOMINEE: All This Love
BEST WEB SERIES
Abracadavers
Car Stealers
Hexed
Life XP
My Death Co.
My Helpful Ghost Ancestor Roommate
One Hit Die: The Devouring Dungeon
Who You Are
Wish Weasel
BEST YOUTH FILM
Me & Michael
Night Games
THE MINERVA AWARD
(Awarded to a female filmmaker/duo/group whose work embodies the advancement of the voice and empowerment of the female filmmaker in genre cinema today. Must have been a film directed, written, and/or produced by a female filmmaker.)
Alexandra Serio for “Tingle Monsters”
Anna Sobolevska for “Eternity”
Bethany Brooke Anderson for “Burning Kentucky”
Izzy Lee for “Re-Home”
Kaily Spear & Sam Spear for “CC”
Lola Blanc, Megan Rasati, Danin Jacquay, Francesca Maldonado, Natasha Halevi & Linda Chen for “Fatale Collective: Bleed”
Maegan Houang for “Chatroom”
Maiara Walsh for “Young Blood”
Rakefet Abergel for “Boo”
Vanessa Ionta Wright for “Rainy Season”
Yaxiong Shao for “Blue Pig”
Yfke van Berckelaer for “Lili”
BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
Burning Kentucky – Bethany Brooke Anderson
Daniel Isn’t Real – Adam Egypt Mortimer
Finale – Søren Juul Petersen
Lake Michigan Monster – Ryland Brickson Cole Tews
Swing Low – Teddy Grennan
The Sonata – Andrew Desmond
Volition – Tony Dean Smith
SECRET NOMINEE: Blood Vessel
BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
Daniel Isn’t Real – Brian DeLeeuw & Adam Egypt Mortimer
Swing Low – Teddy Grennan
The Black String – Richard Handley & Brian Hanson
The Fare – Brinna Kelly
The Sonata – Andrew Desmond & Arthur Morin
To Your Last Death – Jim Cirile & Tanya C. Klein
Villains – Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
SECRET NOMINEE: Volition
BEST ACTOR – FEATURE
Blood Vessel – Nathan Phillips
Daniel Isn’t Real – Miles Robbins
Making Monsters – Tim Loden
The Black String – Frankie Muniz
The Fare – Gino Anthony Pesi
Villains – Bill Skarsgård
Volition – Adrian Glynn McMorran
SECRET NOMINEE: The Sonata – Simon Abkarian
BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Finale – Anne Bergfeld
Making Monsters – Alana Elmer
Swing Low – Annabelle Dexter-Jones
The Fare – Brinna Kelly
The Sonata – Freya Tingley
Villains – Maika Monroe
Wild Boar – Augie Duke
SECRET NOMINEE: Burning Kentucky – Emilie Dhir
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Blood Vessel – John Lloyd Fillingham
Burning Kentucky – John Pyper-Ferguson
Daniel Isn’t Real – Patrick Schwarzenegger
Finale – Damon Younger
Swing Low – Robert Longstreet
Villains – Jeffrey Donovan
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Blood Vessel – Alyssa Sutherland
Burning Kentucky – Augie Duke
Finale – Karin Michelsen
The Black String – Chelsea Edmundson
Villains – Kyra Sedgwick
Volition – Magda Apanowicz
Wild Boar – Jessica Sonneborn
SECRET NOMINEE: Daniel Isn’t Real – Sasha Lane
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE
Blood Vessel
Burning Kentucky
Daniel Isn’t Real
Lake Michigan Monster
To Your Last Death
Villains
Volition
SECRET NOMINEE: The Black String
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE
Burning Kentucky – Matt Clegg
Daniel Isn’t Real – Lyle Vincent
Making Monsters – Stuart James Cameron
Swing Low – Christopher Walters
The Black String – John Orphan
The Sonata – Janis Eglitis
Volition – Byron Kopman
BEST EDITING – FEATURE
Burning Kentucky
Daniel Isn’t Real
Lake Michigan Monster
Making Monsters
The Fare
Villains
Volition
BEST SOUND – FEATURE
Blood Vessel
Lake Michigan Monster
Making Monsters
The Black String
The Fare
The Sonata
To Your Last Death
BEST SCORE – FEATURE
Lake Michigan Monster
Making Monsters
The Fare
The Sonata
To Your Last Death
Villains
Volition
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – FEATURE
Blood Vessel
Daniel Isn’t real
Lake Michigan Monster
The Sonata
To Your Last Death
Wild Boar
BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE
Blood Vessel
Finale
Lake Michigan Monster
The Sonata
Wild Boar
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – FEATURE
Blood Vessel
Daniel Isn’t Real
Lake Michigan Monster
The Black String
The Sonata
BEST MAKEUP – FEATURE
Blood Vessel
Daniel Isn’t Real
Finale
Lake Michigan Monster
Making Monsters
Swing Low
Wild Boar
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
Attrition – Kelly Holmes
Ava in the End – Ursula Ellis
Boo – Rakefet Abergel
Spitting Image – Will Ilgen
Supine – Nicole Goode
The Desecrated – John Gray
Troll Bridge – Daniel Knight
Unregistered – Sophia Banks
We Die Alone – Marc Cartwright
SECRET NOMINEE: Exhibit Man – Trevor Mirosh
BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
A Purgatory Story – Tom Albanese & Joey Long
Dispel – Kylie Eaton
Exhibit Man – Trevor Mirosh
Half-Cocked – Aaron Barrocas
Maggie May – Mia’kate Russell
My Dinner with Werner – Maverick Moore & Ryan McNamara
O.I. – N’cee van Heerden
Progeny – Kenda Greenwood Moran & Justin Daering
Teddy Mate – Lydia Lane
SECRET NOMINEE: Boo – Rakefet Abergel
BEST ACTOR – SHORT
Exhibit Man – Troy Mundle
Here & Beyond – Greg Lucey
Jonagold – Edward Ventura
O.I. – Ben Cotton
The Lossen – Sean Knopp
Troll Bridge – Don Bridges
Unregistered – Trevor Jackson
We Die Alone – Baker Chase Powell
When We Dance – Larry Cedar
SECRET NOMINEE: The Office is Mine – Ben Baur
BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
Ava in the End – Elsa Gay
Hashtag – Gigi Edgley
Keloid – Taylor Catchart
Lili – Lisa Smit
Motherhood – Aki Maeda
Re-Home – Gigi Saul Guerrero
Regulation – Sunita Mani
Stray – Melinda Joan Reed
Virtually – Katie Savoy
SECRET NOMINEE: Conversion Therapist – Sara Fletcher
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
Conversion Therapist – Michael Dickson
Half-Cocked – Lundon Boyd
Keloid – Jason Rogel
Killer Date – Brandon Shypkowski
O.I. – Kett Turton
Prefigured – Nicholas Thurkettle
Progeny – Hans Christopher
The Hanged Man – Gordon Peaston
Virtually – Wolé Parks
SECRET NOMINEE: Low Tide – Luke Lally
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT
Exhibit Man – Debs Howard
Maggie May – Lulu McClatchy
Murderabiliac – Sydney Skidmore
My Dinner with Werner – Chynna Walker
Regulation – Audrey Bennett
The Dishwasher – Mariana Flores
The Wreath – Haeleigh Royall
We Die Alone – Ashley Jones
We Die Alone – Samantha Boscarino
SECRET NOMINEE: Eternity – Darya Plakhtiy
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT
8
Atomic Ed
Attrition
Balloon
Car Stealers
Dead Teenager Seance
Exhibit Man
Fatale Collective: Bleed
For the Love of Kyle
Last One Screaming
Rubbish Robbers
Steel Cut Oats
The Vicious
Young Blood
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT
Alaraph – Ton Vorselaars
Attrition – Alan C. McLaughlin
Balloon – Frances Kroon
Earthy Encounters – Eben Bolter
Eternity – Denys Lushchyk
Rain Catcher – Evgeny Sinelnikov
Stray – Brian Loewe
Third Kind – Yannis Kanakis
Unregistered – Paul Cameron
SECRET NOMINEE: Condamned
BEST EDITING – SHORT
8
Alaraph
Boo
Fatale Collective: Bleed
Here & Beyond
Killer Date
Last One Screaming
Maggie May
We Got a Monkey’s Paw
SECRET NOMINEE: Steel Cut Oats
BEST SOUND – SHORT
Fever
Jonagold
Oscar’s Bell
The Automaton
The Beacon
The Soul Collector
Third Kind
Tingle Monsters
Virtually
SECRET NOMINEE: Atomic Ed
BEST SCORE – SHORT
Atomic Ed
By Blood
Dispel
Earthy Encounters
My Dinner with Werner
The Reckoning of Darkness
The Secret Box: The Rise of Paperboy
When We Dance
Worship
SECRET NOMINEE: Virtually
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – SHORT
Attrition
Compartmentalization Storage Facility
Doffice
Murderabiliac
Steel Cut Oats
The Automaton
The Beacon
The Reckoning of Darkness
The Secret Box: The Rise of Paperboy
SECRET NOMINEE: Dead Teenager Seance
BEST COSTUMES – SHORT
Anna
Attrition
By Blood
Condamned
Freak Night
The Automaton
The Reckoning of Darkness
The Secret Box: The Rise of Paperboy
Unregistered
SECRET NOMINEE: Worship
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – SHORT
Exhibit Man
Hashtag
Samantha
Scavenger
Steel Cut Oats
The Beacon
The Seahorse Trainer
Troll Bridge
Unregistered
SECRET NOMINEE: Ava in the End
BEST MAKEUP – SHORT
Always Listening
Atomic Ed
Dreamcatcher
Exhibit Man
Five Course Meal
Freak Night
Lobisome
The Hidebehind
Z-Goat: First Bleat
SECRET NOMINEE: Maggie May
CONGRATULATIONS to ALL the 2019 FilmQuest awards winners and nominees! We can’t wait to see what everyone of you have in store for us in the near future!